Stratford Hall: Robert E. Lee's Birthplace

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Nov 26, 2016
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central NC
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Stratford Hall located in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Stratford Hall was the home of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia, including two signers of the Declaration of Independence. This was the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee. As the Stratford Hall website points out:

The strong, healthy boy born to “Light Horse Harry” and Ann Carter Lee on January 19, 1807 was the last Lee born at Stratford to survive to maturity. Though he spent fewer than four years there, his later boyhood visits left an impression that he carried throughout his life.”

I hope you will enjoy these pictures, courtesy of @Southern Unionist, as much as I enjoyed my recent visit there. They are reflective of the upper class lifestyle enjoyed during the 19th century.

The main hall.
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The dining room.
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The master bedroom. This was Robert E. Lee's baby crib. It is one of the very few furnishing original to the house.
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The docent pointed out the cherubs in the nursery’s fireplace that young four-year-old Robert E. Lee said good-bye to when he and his family moved to Alexandria.
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The gardens.
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Stratford Cliffs.
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Great pics, Ellie and @Southern Unionist ! Thank you for taking us along on the tour. Will have to visit Stafford the next time I'm in Virginia.

The docent pointed out the cherubs in the nursery’s fireplace that young four-year-old Robert E. Lee said good-bye to when he and his family moved to Alexandria.
I remember reading that in Freeman's bio on Lee. Such a sweet story!
 
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Stratford Hall located in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Stratford Hall was the home of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia, including two signers of the Declaration of Independence. This was the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee. As the Stratford Hall website points out:

The strong, healthy boy born to “Light Horse Harry” and Ann Carter Lee on January 19, 1807 was the last Lee born at Stratford to survive to maturity. Though he spent fewer than four years there, his later boyhood visits left an impression that he carried throughout his life.”

I hope you will enjoy these pictures, courtesy of @Southern Unionist, as much as I enjoyed my recent visit there. They are reflective of the upper class lifestyle enjoyed during the 19th century.

The main hall.
The dining room.
The master bedroom. This was Robert E. Lee's baby crib. It is one of the very few furnishing original to the house.
The docent pointed out the cherubs in the nursery’s fireplace that young four-year-old Robert E. Lee said good-bye to when he and his family moved to Alexandria.

The gardens.
Stratford Cliffs.

Fantastic! I was there a few years ago, and it is a highly interesting place to visit. Has a wonderful museum, too.
 
Great photos, Ellie!

Look at the steep stairs at the entrance that caused the death two Lee children who fell down and died from that fall. One of them was Margaret, daughter of Robert E. Lee's half-brother Henry Lee IV.

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From:

Stratford Hall : the great house of the Lees / by Ethel Armes
 
Great photos, Ellie!

Look at the steep stairs at the entrance that caused the death two Lee children who fell down and died from that fall. One of them was Margaret, daughter of Robert E. Lee's half-brother Henry Lee IV.

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From:

Stratford Hall : the great house of the Lees / by Ethel Armes

How tragic! Here's a picture that zooms in a little more on those steep steps. Douglas remembers the tour guide mentioning this. Hopefully he'll be along later to add some more information. These aren't the original steps.

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I believe I can clear this up. I remember the tour guide mentioning that the current front and rear steps (identical) replaced decayed wooden stairs, but she didn't know the full story behind it. Why would anyone put a wooden stairway on a fine house like Stratford? I've never seen that done before. It seems inappropriate, cosmetically. But then I read the story about the tragic accident. When the original stone steps have proven to be unsafe, what's the fastest and easiest way to make them safer? Cover them up with wooden stairs that are not nearly as steep. A permanent solution would have to wait.

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